Shocks
by rinalena95
Summary: She had been late, but she had been there. Now, Nora's life was about to change. Could try to deny it but it's a Nathan/OC. Slow one to start.
1. Chapter 1: Echoes

**Hope you like this. Just to be clear, totally missing that first through second season cast… a lot.**

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**Chapter One – Echoes**

"The city breathing,

The people churning,

The conversating…"

– The Rapture

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This was fair. Breaking and entering was the crime that she had been charged with and that was exactly what she had done. Nora yawned, stretching her arms above her head. She tied her wavy brown hair up into a messy bun, 'no need to impress anyone' her light brown eyes distractedly scanned the viaduct below. From her perch at the edge of the roof on top of the community centre building she could see that the estate had gone from being completely dead at to operating at its usual dull buzz.

She wasn't meant to be there until 8 a.m. but she had gotten there an hour earlier, luckily the building had been easy enough to get into. After the weeks of arguing and crying Nora had become an expert at avoiding her mum. At times the passive aggression was still too much to bare, hence the early morning departure from the house. She had some books to read and music to listen to in any case so it wasn't too much of a big deal. Nora did understand why her mum was so distraught. She was meant to be the good child.

Just 'cause she didn't like doing what her little sister did, just 'cause she was quiet, 'cause she used to make her mother feel better, just 'cause according to her mum and her aunts she was prone to seeing too much of the best in people…

Nora knew that all of that made her seem like the good, naïve middle child. But all it really meant was that she just not like her sister or even like her older brother for that rubbed the skin under the ankle bracelet that they snapped around her leg. It was a gaudy thing, easy enough to forget… it wasn't as though she had life that would make her break her curfew, but it was a bit of a shock to stop thinking about it then look down suddenly remember that it was there.

Her light brown gaze dropped at the sound of a metal door slamming shut below her, she saw three orange dots leaving the community centre, she quickly pulled her phone out of her bag to check the time "Crap!" she jolted up, shoving the book she had been reading and her phone back into her bag as she stood up 'How is it 8:20 all of a sudden?'

She ran down to the info desk by the change rooms and entrance just as a boy in a green cap and a blonde haired girl in orange jumpsuits walked out of building as well. Nora opened her mouth to ask them to wait when a deep spoke up behind her.

"Are you my seventh?" she turned to see a very tired looking middle-aged man.

"Pardon?" Nora asked.

"I'm the probation worker for the community service here…" he went on.

She nodded "I'm Nora." She thought about sticking out her hand for a shake, but he was already moving on.

"Tony" he introduced himself "and you're late." He sighed, walking past her to the front entrance. "Lockers and uniforms in there" he nodded at the change room, "I've locked the front, so just hurry up, make sure to shut the door properly and meet us by the benches at the water."

"O- ok…" Nora said just as he finished propping the door open. She rushed to get ready, picking out the least grimy of the jumpsuits and lockers that she could from what was left by the others. Outside she heard the sound of angry thrashing and swearing.

"Shit… my cap…" was all that she could really make out and by the time she had gotten to the hall whoever it had been was gone. She guessed it had been the guy from before and she figured that his being in the building was nothing to worry about.

She looked away from her path to make sure the lock clicked, as she turned to race out of the door the back of Tony's large form suddenly appeared before her. "AH!" she dodged him with a sidestep, her relief was short-lived though as she crashed, hard, into another form and felt herself fill with a white strike of hot light.

"What the fuck!"

'Ow…'

"We should be dead." Some boy with a shaky manner next to her commented.

"Maybe we are… Oh! Look! An angel!" an amused voice rumbled from under her. Nora gasped out a breath, she hadn't realized that her eyes had closed at the shock of whatever it was that had happened. She blinked now seeing orange and red under her body, she craned her head up to see a skinny boy laying back on the pavement propped up on his elbows with a dark mop of curly hair and a cheap grin "'Ello love" he spoke in a cheesy put-on voice, wriggling his thick eyebrows.

The guy shifted his focus back over Nora's head "A little reassurance would be nice, you know." He spoke in what was clearly his natural Irish accent as he offered suggestions "You're fine! Looking good!" His bluish green gaze returned to her face "Some people!" His tone was exasperated, but the smile on his face showed that he was obviously joking "I mean manners, am I right?"

Nora, who had been held in a stunned state up until that point, suddenly realized how she had landed… that her fingers were spanned across his bare neck, that she was still pressed up against and splayed between the legs of this random boy. She jerked up and pushed herself off the top of the guy.

"Ah! Gentle, gentle…" he groaned. She didn't know whether it was because of her weight shifting or the fact that they'd all just apparently been struck by lightning or perhaps because she sort of kneed him. "No need to ruin it for the ladies of the world…"

"S- sor…" her apology was drowned out by a quiet but clear statement.

"Wanker," she heard Tony mumble from behind her as she stood up on wobbly legs.

"Did he just call me a wanker?" Irish boy asked, glaring around at the four others still lying on the ground next to him… there was what had to have been the pale nervous boy who had talked about death, an impeccably accessorized girl, a familiar looking athletic black guy and the blonde girl from before.

In her survey of the area Nora also took in that there was snow on the concrete 'Weird…' she tried but couldn't recall any signs of freak chances of snow being in the weather forecast. She turned head up to squint at the consistently grey sky 'Nothing out of the ordinary…' she thought of the shock of what had just happened 'well not really…'

"Oi!" fingers snapped in front of her eyes, drawing her attention back to the Irish boy, who was now standing a total head taller than her as well "A bit daft aren't we darlin'?" his grin turned into wince as the blonde girl whacked the back of his head "Ow!" he spun to scowl at the tough looking girl.

"Don' be such a dick 'ed."

"All right, all right I get it…" he backed away following the others into the community centre, raising his fist in a sign of solidary "Sisterhood shit…"

The blonde girl shook her head and rolled her blue eyes, made even bluer by the fact that they were thickly outlined with black eyeliner. As the two girls began walking back inside the blonde girl introduced herself with a huff "I'm Kelly."

"Um, I'm Nora…"

"Nice tah meet ya" they changed quickly, apparently the probation worker had decided to call it a day while Nora had been having her little interval staring up at the sky. She was fully dressed but had become distracted watching Kelly comb her hair back, it made her own scalp burn to think of how tightly the nice blonde girl pulled back her hair. She wasn't the only one, the other shorter girl who had irritably introduced herself as Alisha was watching Kelly as well.

"Wot did ya say?" Kelly suddenly barked at Alisha.

"Nothing." Alisha replied looking taken aback, Kelly look accusingly at Nora who shook head in silent reply.

Kelly let whatever it was go for a minute before "Wot?" she moved threateningly towards Alisha again.

"I didn't say anything," Alisha slammed her locker shut and rushed out of the room.

"She really didn't say anything," Nora felt compelled to add with a well-intentioned shrug. Kelly looked even more confused than Nora felt. "Come on lets go, it's been a balls mad day…" Nora went on.

Kelly nodded slowly, they heard the Irish boy shout "…Wa- Wanker!" from outside.

"Wha' a knob" Kelly scoffed as they exited the change room to see a now empty hallway and the front door of the community centre closing behind the others.

Once they were outside again Nora said goodbye to Kelly, telling her that she had to go in a different direction. But really Nora just didn't want to get home too early before her mum left for her nursing shift at the hospital so she hung around the community centre.

"Ow!" Nora had been reading and napping on a bench taking advantage of the rarely present sun for the past two hours, but a sudden jolt of pain in her chest made her sit up. The pain moved from her chest and became a pit of despair in her stomach. It still hurt in a way though… with a sudden gasp she felt herself being pulled in the direction of the overpass that was close by the community centre. Her hands lifted up her shirt as she walked, just to check 'not hurt…'

As she approached the bridge the pain lessened, from the sidewalk she looked over the edge of the empty flyover as she crossed it. 'What the hell?' Nora rubbed her belly, checking again, the pain was gone. There was whistling coming from under the flyover now, a few seconds later the Irish boy's bobbing, curly haired head appeared. He clambered up the path under the bridge towards the community centre, with a knapsack on his back and bags in hand, whistling happily as he went. She was about to call out to him, when she felt her phone vibrating in her bag.

"Rosie?" Nora answered her phone, looking away from the boy and down at the water rushing past as she leaned over the banister of the overpass "I'll be home soon… Is Granny Keira still asleep? What did she say? Ok what kinds of lollies do you want?" Nora smiled at the laundry list the four year old gave her, the little girl was only meant to use the phone for emergencies, but it seemed more often than not the emergencies involved a shortage of candy. "All right, I'll be there soon. You let Granma sleep now, she's gotta go work… Love you too."

Nora sighed, happy in that moment. With a glance over her shoulder at the Irish boy's shrinking form in the distance nearby the community centre, Nora decided to leave his weird reappearance alone 'Good whistler though… could hear him over the water…' Nora mused as she began her walk home.

* * *

Her mum was rushing out the door just as she arrived at their three bedroom flat. "Rosie'll be needing a bath…" she had muttered out quickly as she brushed by Nora, who resisting hugging the older woman in a passing farewell.

The four year had squealed when Nora had handed her the gummy candies after dinner. Rosie was a beautiful, sweet little ball of energy... perhaps a little bit too energetic at times. She had inherited her light brown skin colour from her black father, she had gotten his big curly hair as well, although it was much lighter than his had been. Her appearance was not important to the family but publically it caused problems, as people seemed to second guess or question the family's relationship to Rosie, which annoyed Nora and her mother to no end.

The two had played with dolls for a while, watched a Dora the Explorer dvd and when Rosie had started crashing from her sugar high Nora had eased the little girl into the bathtub.

Rosie had become one for showing everyone that she could do things for herself, as she changed for bed and rambled on about her time at the park earlier that day. Nora listened, her light brown eyes travelling around the walls of the girl's room. It was dimly lit by these reddish fairy lights, that Nora and her mum had put up when Rosie said that she was afraid of the dark. It was the smallest room in the flat but there were trinkets and drawings on the walls that made Nora love this cosy room more any other.

Her smile widened when her gaze reached a month old nametag stuck to the wall over the little girl's bed it read "Saoirse (Ser-sha)". Nora had called Rosie a clever girl for that. People were always mispronouncing Rosie's real name, it would make the four year old so angry. And that reaction was so cute that Nora teased the little girl by purposely calling her Rosie, eventually everyone in the family started doing the same thing and the nickname stuck. When Nora had called her clever, Rosie had corrected her and said that her Granma Keira had added that pronouncing part to the name tag.

"Done" Rosie announced with a yawn.

"All right Rosie Posey, time for bed."

"Aw…" she pouted but got into her bed anyway.

Nora chuckled, "Good night little bug" pressing a kiss to the girl's forehead and tucking her in "Love you."

"Love you too Aunty Noni" the girl yawned again her hazel eyes fluttering closed. Nora left Rosie's door open a crack, making sure the hall way light could get in before walking to the bathroom to shower.

Nora turned on her bedside lamp as she changed into her pajamas after her shower. She yawned, tired now herself. As she crawled into bed she felt fine, when she turned off her lamp she felt fine, it wasn't until she lay back and closed her eyes that she felt her heart start to race… what had happened today hit her like a train. 'I was struck by lightning…' she blindly clutched her chest, as she calmed down she mumbled against her pillow before finally drifting off to sleep "Holy hell…"

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**Please let me know what you think so far.**


	2. Chapter 2: When the Sun Goes Down

**All right on we go!**

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**Chapter Two – When the Sun Goes Down**

"…Can see it in his eyes

Yeah, that he's got a nasty plan

I hope you're not involved at all"

– Arctic Monkeys

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Nora was running late again. It hadn't been her fault. Again, she had left before anyone had woken up on that morning. But the community centre had felt further away than it had the day before. She hadn't slept well, all throughout the night she had this feeling of a weird pull at her middle and though she couldn't remember them, Nora knew that her dreams had been restless. Especially judging by how tired she was on her walk to the community centre… exhausted enough to take, what was meant to be, a small rest on some outdoor steps by the community centre. She must have dozed off against the wall bordering the staircase because the next thing she heard was her phone vibrating in her bag.

She snatched it out, thinking it must have been the probation worker, considering how late she might have been "Hi… oh Rosie?" Nora checked on the screen '8:24… damn it!' She stood up and rushed towards the community centre "What are you doing up so early?... no, no don't wakeup Granny. Just… Oh, the bed's wet?..." Nora felt a stab of guilt at not being there to help. "Ok, go get Granma. Yes, see you later. Love you too." She finished the phone call. 'Crap!'

The other five were already changed, outside with sponges and buckets. A part from Alisha, who was sunbathing, everyone was washing the large words that had been spray painted on the side of the community centre… Nora had to stop to make sure that she had read them properly 'does that say "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU"?'

"Tardy, tardy" the Irish boy tsked at her with a grin, shaking a disapproving finger at Nora when he spotted her.

"Right." Nora shook her head and made her way to the change room, noticing that someone had made a mess of the hallway as well as she hurried by some wrecked chairs. After changing she grabbed a sponge and bucket from the stack by the door, she got a whiff of a blunt as left the room. 'Yum.'

"You're late..." the probation worker, 'um…Tony?', called from behind her when she walked out into the hall "… again…"

"Sorr…" Nora began, but Tony jerked out his hand.

"Phone!" he demanded so abruptly, it nearly made Nora jump. She inched closer to him and gave him her mobile phone. Something about him had changed, he twitched a little. "Go!" he practically shouted. Nora didn't need telling twice, the probation worker went off in a different direction as she left.

"Are you a virgin?... High Five!" she could hear the Irish boy's voice. Rounding the corner of the entrance to see Kelly suddenly push the curly haired boy into his individual bucket of water, as Kelly walked past her Nora could see that the blonde girl was clearly distracted "What was that for?" The Irish guy shouted after her, "Jesus" his eyes landed on Nora, he shrugged at her innocently, looking for someone to agree with his confusion. Though she was really quite confused, she was more worried about Kelly than anything, Nora put down her pail and sponge to go after the blonde haired girl.

She walked back around the corner of the building. The sound of shouting was coming from around the next corner. "Ge' off!" she heard Kelly yell.

"Hey!" Nora could see the back of some man who was struggling with Kelly "Get off her!" It all happened so quickly, she into slammed the guy's side, just as Kelly head-butted him. "Run!"

She and Kelly ran as fast as they could towards the paint chipped walls of the pathetic skate park next door to the community centre. They pounded to a stop, catching their breath and checking to be sure that no one was behind them.

Kelly shakily pulled out and lit a cigarette from her jumpsuit, she took a puff as she slid down one of the walls to sit on the pavement. Nora had a stitch that was pinching at her side, she hugged her stomach, still standing and panting she asked "Are you all right?"

The blonde girl nodded, taking another wobbly drag of her cigarette, her gaze pointed inattentively at some vague space before her.

"Who was that?" Nora asked, sliding down the wall to sit by Kelly.

"The probation worka'…"

Nora turned her to look at the side of Kelly's tear and eyeliner smeared face, she opened and closed her mouth in disbelief, shifting her light brown eyes to stare at the same vague place as Kelly. "No shit…" she muttered. Kelly was still sniffing, drawing Nora's attention again "Listen… if you wanna talk…" Nora shrugged, giving Kelly's arm a reassuring pat, "… either way I'll just sit here…" both of the girls ended up keeping their eyes directed forward in silence while Kelly finished her smoke.

Kelly started to break the quiet "Thank y…" a scraping noise cut her off, her face lined with worry as she looked over Nora's shoulder towards the origin of the odd sound. With a reluctant dread Nora turned her head to look as well "… the fuck?" Kelly asked out loud exactly what Nora had just been thinking. "Jesus…" Kelly muttered, "Run!" suddenly she was shoving for Nora to stand up "Fucking run!"

So she did, the stitch was starting to come back, though she still able to keep ahead of Kelly for some reason the innocently wide-eyed shrug from the community centre filled her mind 'the others…'

"Where yah goin'?"

"We have to warn others!" Nora called back, over the pounding her ears.

"Yea, yea, yea!" Kelly urged her on.

'Almost there…'

"Wait! Back 'ere!" Kelly called when Nora ran past the door. She skidded to a stop and spun around to follow the blonde inside. She leapt over Kelly, who had tripped just inside the door "Nice entrance," Irish boy applauded from a wheelchair, "Very dramatic."

Nora bent down to help Kelly up "The probation worka's gone mental," Kelly gasped " 'e's just tried to attack os!"

"It's true…" Nora tried, as Kelly went on, moving around frantically.

"Somefin' really weird is 'appenin'. I'm 'earing these voices in me 'ead… it's like I can 'ear wot people are finking!" That stopped Nora from nodding along 'Wait. What?' she looked at the blonde girl beside her with the same disbelief as the other four young offenders now.

"Have you been sniffing glue?" Alisha questioned dismissively.

Kelly held to her story "The storm… the lightnin'! It's done somefin' tah os!"

"Yeah!" The Irish guy suddenly agreed "… that's why I'm in this chair, the tingling sensation in my anus spread to my legs…"

'Huh?'

Kelly kicked his shin "Seriously Nathan!" she shouted.

"Okay," the irritating Irish boy, evidently named Nathan, stated "If you can hear our thoughts, what am I thinking now?"

"You fink it's bullshit!" she answered.

"Of course I think it's bullshit!" Nathan replied, "You don't need to be a mind reader to know that!"

"Something's happened to me, too," the quiet kid's sulky voice entered the conversation, drawing all of their focus.

"Did you pop your cherry? Aw, we're all very happy for you!" Nathan teased meanly.

"Earlier on, when we were in the locker room…" the boy continued nervously. "I was invisible…"

Nora moved from Kelly's side by the door towards the boy, he looked to be on the verge of a breakdown "What was your name?" she asked.

His pale blue eyes flicked to her "Simon", he went back to addressing the rest of the room in a firmer tone "I was invisible."

"Yeah? And did anyone witness this miraculous disappearance?" Nathan asked mockingly, moving… well, wheeling himself closer to Simon as well.

"You were all there." The quiet boy pressed on. "I guess you weren't…" he jerked his chin at Nora "…but…" he looked pleadingly at the others in the room.

"I think we would have noticed you vanishing into thin air," Alisha bit out impatiently.

"You didn't," Simon insisted, "You were standing right there. You couldn't see me."

"Prove it" Nathan wheeled even closer, jutting his face up defiantly at Simon "Go on then, do it. Turn invisible" Simon made a really weird face that reminded Nora of Rosie's when she sometimes sat on the potty for too long. "Oh my God. He's disappeared" Nathan poked fun at Simon, who waved his very visible hand in front of the curly haired guy's face. "You can't see me?" Simon looked happy, which filled Nora with guilt.

"Can you quit it?" Nora asked Nathan, but not in enough time to stop him from throwing an empty pop can at the shaky boy's forehead.

"You lot are hilarious, really," Nathan scoffed, wheeling towards the door. "Keep taking that medication."

Nora's heart sped up, she ran in front of him, "Don't go out there!" bracing her weight on either of the arm rests, stopping him. It didn't matter that Kelly and Simon might have been going crazy in here, because Nora was definitely sure that the probation worker had lost it out there.

Nathan's bluish green gaze was skimming over her face from where he sat, he was wearing a soft strange expression. "And you are?" he asked putting on that same smooth playful voice as he had yesterday.

"Nora. And you can't go out there!" she tried to convince him again.

"They're telling the truth!" the tall athletic guy in group shouted, all of a sudden all sweaty and struggling to catch his breath, drawing everyone's attention.

"And you know this how?" Nathan asked unmoved in his doubt, though still evidently amused by what was happening "I suppose you're psychic now, too!"

"All this," the athletic guy panted, "It's already happened once. I opened the door… the probation worker… he killed you," he pointed to Kelly. "You were right there. You were dead. Everything froze. You were all just standing there. Time went backwards!"

"Curtis, you're seriously saying that you can turn back time?" Alisha asked.

"This just gets better by the second!" Nathan stood up from the wheelchair and walked by Nora towards the door.

"Don't!" There was a yell when his hand touched the latch.

As soon as he opened the door he slammed it shut and locked it "They're right, the probation worker's gone mental!" he exclaimed. Squealing and jumping away from the entrance when the probation worker smacked into the door trying desperately to get in. He pounded against the glass, 'It could crack…' Nora couldn't really focus on what the others were saying.

She picked up Alisha saying something about meth and then getting angry at Kelly, the others talked too, but all she could think with the doors shaking was "… Gotta get out of here."

"Good idea new girl." The Irish boy snapped his fingers, and they were off racing to the back looking for another way out.

There was a thwack as Nathan slipped on something, causing the rest of them to turn back, "My poor sweet rear" he groaned on the floor until he realised what he had slipped in.

"B… blood?" Nora's voice sounded as fuzzy as her head felt, her light brown gaze followed the puddle of red to its origin, which appeared to be a leaky locker.

"Ah! Fucking get it off me!" Nathan gagged, scrambling up to stand next to Nora, frenziedly trying to wipe his red stained hands off on his jumpsuit. "Jesus!"

The time turner… Curtis swallowed audibly and reached to open the locker. The jumpsuit gave away who it might have been that was mutilated and shoved into the locker "It's that boy," Simon's muffled voice spoke "… Gary"

"I did wonder what had happened to him" Nathan squeaked "Turn back time! Stop this from happening" he demanded from Curtis.

"I don't know how it works!"

Nora was numb blinking at the body 'Is this happening?'

"Oh, well, that's great! That's really useful!" Nathan spat sarcastic fright.

"Gonna ki- kill us… "Nora began, but she felt fingers clasp around her covered shoulders.

"New girl! Just calm down!" Nathan shook her roughly, by his out of whack reaction to her relative cool she could tell that his outburst had more to do with him dealing with his own fear.

"Stop it…" she heard Kelly shout.

Remembering herself Nora protested as well "Stop… Stop!" she felt heat rush through her, a light sparked somewhere, bright enough to stop his shaking. 'Is that coming from…' she looked down at her hands, holding them up herself and between Nathan, who was still gripping on to her shoulders. They both gawked, eyes wide, mouths open. She was holding light in them 'like that fairy shit in that vampire show?'

"Yea'…" she was vaguely aware of Kelly's comment "tha's righ' messed up…"

"Wha- wha…" Nora stuttered. Nathan lifted one of his hands off of her shoulders, he squinted his blue green eyes as he moved his index finger towards the light in her right palm.

"It's warm" he sort of smiled.

"Don't… it might bur…" Nora tried warning him off, but he touched anyway.

Her gaze locked on blue green before her, there was something about them that held Nora's attention. They seemed to hold a consuming message that she couldn't quite decipher. As she looked into them, a light warmth filled her with a sense of safety and peace that she had never felt before. It scared her a little at how overwhelming the feeling was.

Someone knocked against Nora's back, jarring her out of her daze, the light in her hands went out and she pulled away from Nathan "Get off me you freak!" Alisha was yelling, Nora turned to that Curtis had been pushed into her very likely by Alisha, who had raised her hand to slap Curtis but he caught her wrist before she made contact.

His breath seized and his started craning over Alisha aggressively "You're so hot. I'm gonna bone you. I'm gonna shag you senseless."

Alisha pulled away before anyone else could interfere.

"What'd I do?" Curtis asked in confusion, gasping for air. Nora wondered how he could forget nearly sexually assaulting another person.

"Uh, you said you was gonna shag 'er," Kelly stated with unhidden disgust in her tone.

"And you were getting your chap out!" Nathan added unhelpfully.

His proximity was rather unnerving to Nora after what had happened. 'Did he feel that too?' she curled her hands into fists, rubbing her fingertips against the soft skin of her palms.

"Yeah" Kelly stated with her blue stare still stuck on Curtis making it so that Nora couldn't tell if she was answering her mental question or just agreeing with Nathan.

"It was when you were touching her…" Simon pointed out.

Alisha promptly tested his theory by touching Simon's neck. He gasped and heaved himself over towards her "I'm so hard for you!" he moaned, "I want to rip your clothes off and piss on your tits!"

"No!" she exclaimed, pulling back Simon fell to his knees "What's happening to me?"

"You sick bastard," Nathan remarked to Simon.

Nora moved to help the nervous boy up. He accepted her hand, but they both quickly tripped on to the floor at the sound of the glass door behind them shattering. Nora crawled back, away from the commotion, Simon grabbed her helping her to scamper across the ground.

It all happened in a flash the probation worker was suddenly on the ground, with a bloodied paint tin next to his lifeless body. Kelly was standing over him. 'This isn't this happening…'

"What did you do?" Nathan panted, his hands tugging at his hair.

"Is he dead?"

Nathan moved to look over the body "Well, I'm no doctor, but… You see the way the back of his head is caved like that?"

The probation worker suddenly jolted screaming. Everyone jumped back, except for Kelly, who screamed something and stomped on his head until he stopped moving. "That'll do it," Nathan wheezed.

'Oh god' A million thoughts raced through Nora's mind, Rosie, her mum, her future. Breaking and entering was one thing but murder… manslaughter or whatever it would be classified as, meant something else entirely.

She was fuzzily aware of Simon standing up and he may have offered her a hand up but she didn't notice. Nora had tried to force her mind back to the main goings-on in front of her, but it was as though cotton wool had shoved into her head. The others agreed to something and Nora nodded along blankly from the floor.

"Come on then" of anyone she had expected Simon or Kelly to get her up, but it was Nathan who was addressing her now, he gave her a meek smile "Can't expect us to do all the work…" gripping her orange sleeved arm, Nathan helped her 'is he avoiding my skin?'

She mumbled out a "thank you" and somehow in another series of distorted happenings they were under the flyover, burying two bodies and agreeing to keep it all a secret.

"I'm pretty sure this breaches the terms of my ASBO…" Nora didn't know why but that statement made her smile, the edges of her blurry mind unclouded slightly.

Though Nathan spent most of the time teasing Simon, Nora found it difficult to stop him, she found that the more he spoke the easier it became to breathe and think. "Each of you has some sort of power. _He_," Nathan pointed angrily to a sickly looking Simon, "can do something, and I can't? That's not right! I mean, look at him! How does that make any sense?"

"Maybe you just haven't found it yet" Simon offered as he flattened his short brown hair against his scalp.

"Yeah! Maybe I haven't found it yet." The Irish boy's manner grew excited "Hey! Maybe I can't feel pain?" Kelly whacked him on the arm. "Hey!"

"Did yah feel tha'?"

* * *

Nora wondered how she would face Rosie and her mum when she arrived back at the flat after what she had taken part in. 'Very easily' as it turned out. As soon as she saw her family, or more felt her mum brush by as she left for work, Nora actually found that it was much less difficult to deal with what had transpired. After a hot shower it was even effortless to pretend and remove herself from the grisly events of the day… Nora put an Elvis record that had belonged to her brother's father on to the old record player that she had commandeered from her mother a few years ago and that Rosie had subsequently stolen from her, and read the four year old a bedtime story.

After having tucked Rosie in to her freshly changed sheets, as she lay in her dark bedroom that night, Nora held her palm before eyes she wasn't sure how she was meant to feel. 'At least I'll keep be able to keep toasty…' she focused, held her breath but nothing that she tried worked 'maybe it's gone.' The blue green warmth wandered into her mind, there was a flicker of irritated heat and surprisingly a small splutter of light that sparked in her hand. It died out as fast as it came and concentrate as hard she might nothing happened. 'Maybe with practice' she thought with a weary sigh.

Nestling against her pillow she let out all that she was able to do in lieu of taking it all back "I'm sorry Tony, but you were gonna kill us… you weren't yourself and… I- I'm sorry."

* * *

The following morning, after another unsettled night's sleep, Nora had thought she might have still been and dreaming with the way Nathan treated Sally, the new probation worker. The woman was obviously distraught over the seventh kid and last probation worker's 'disappearance'.

'He can't be human' she gaped at him. The pads of her fingers traced her palms 'had to have been a fluke…'

At the end of the day, from the eclectically furnished ceiling of the community centre they watched while the distressed probation worker left. "You prick" Lighting a cigarette Nathan had quashed any supposition of Simon's about them being a group of superheroes as they looked out at the estate. Without a doubt still sore about not having a power.

She gave Simon a quick supportive pat on the arm, he gave a small smile when she rolled her eyes hoping he'd pick up on her disdain for the Irish shit disturber's mocking 'After everything all he's thinking of is his own lot.' Nathan glanced back at the sound of Nora's quiet scoff, she thought that he might call her out but he just rolled his own smug bluish green eyes at her, before turning back to look over the water. 'Definitely a fluke…'

* * *

**Hope you like it so far!**


	3. Chapter 3: Minnie the Moocher

**Sorry about editing. Ready steady…**

* * *

**Chapter Three – Minnie the Moocher**

"…now here's the story 'bout Minnie the Moocher

She was a red-hot hootchie-cootcher

She was the roughest, toughest frail

But Minnie had a heart as big as a whale…"

– Cab Calloway

* * *

"Maybe I can climb stuff and do spider shit…" Nathan carried on in his practice of whining about his power, or lack thereof, 'this guy needs to be acquainted with the concept of… ad nauseam…' he rustled the rubbish bag was holding dramatically, '…or subtlety' she mused. Kelly chuckled next to her as they walked towards the tunnels they'd been assigned to pick up trash in this week.

The whole mind reading thing was a trip, Nora wasn't overly enthused at the thought of having her private mind so exposed to someone else, though Kelly did really seem to try to not listen in… and having the new ability couldn't have been a picnic for the blonde girl '… nor for Alisha' Nora casted a quick look back at the shorter girl, who actually made her jumpsuit less hideous. Nora had no idea how the others made their suits so unique, she was more of a jeans, jumper, t-shirt, maybe dress up or put on make-up if you're going out kind of person.

Doing it every day seemed like such a chore and she had to commend them for it. More commendable though was the fact that the animosity between Alisha and Kelly seemed to have dissipated, given everything that had happened in addition to how friendly Kelly was, it was not surprising.

"Yeah, that makes perfect sense…" Curtis said sarcasm in his tone as he questioned "Why would you be able to climb stuff?" his voice not hiding the notes of his distaste for Nathan.

"I don't know! How is it that you can turn back time, apparently, or that New Girl's like one of 'em shakable glow sticks…" Nora glanced back at that reference "_And_" he went on, clicking his rubbish picker at Simon, who only flinched in reaction "weird kid over here can turn invisible? It's not like this whole is situation backed up by a wank load of logic." Nora sniggered a little at that observation.

* * *

'Really?' Nora's face scrunched up at the large half rotted piece of rubbish she'd just picked up 'when there's a bin right over there…' shoving the grey thing into her garbage bag, she walked further into the tunnel ahead of the others. Something drew her light brown gaze up from the grey ground, like a tingling, she did a double take before asking the others "What is that?"

As they neared it became abundantly clear that 'it' was an unconscious naked man.

They all stopped a fair distance away, "Is 'e breathin'?" Kelly asked.

Alisha stepped closer and poked the man's bare bottom with the rubbish picker "Hey nude guy, you're naked" she jabbed amusedly.

The man rolled over, with a gasp Nora clutched Kelly's arm and could help but think 'Huge' just thinking of it made sore.

"Yea'" Kelly nodded, just as gob smacked and seemingly unable to tear away her gape as well.

"You!" Nathan's exclamation was filled with disgust, the naked man seemed to have caught his bearings, he jumped up and ran off stark naked. The scene was too comical not to laugh, Nathan was the only one who was not entertained.

"You wanna tell us who that was?" Curtis snorted out.

"He's my mum's... He lives with my mum…" to Nora that phrasing was almost as pained as the look on the Irish boy's face. The memory of him walking around with a rucksack on his back flitted through her mind.

Nonetheless she had to laugh along with the others when Alisha stated "You're stepdad has got a massive cock" nudging Kelly the shorter girl snickered "That thing was like monster big…"

"No, Jesus and he's not my stepdad alright?" Nathan said annoyed and '...distressed?' Something about that made Nora want to stop laughing, it wasn't funny anymore.

"Your mum'll hurt." Alisha pressed on.

A shiver went up Nora's spine, picturing her mother, any mother with that thing in bed was stomach churning.

"Ah… Maybe a bit far?" Nora piped in, her tendency for being better at one on one conversation as opposed to large group exchanges made her voice shaky.

"Yeah, listen to her" Nathan agreed, having covered his ears at Alisha's earlier statement.

"Why's 'e nak'ed?" Kelly asked, bringing up a good change of subject.

Luckily Alisha was there to point the conversation in a useless direction… by the end of it the naked guy was some kind of perverted, gay, rapist, storm affected, wolf man. For the most part Nora kept out of the odd discussion, but of all of them she silently most agreed with something like Simon's werewolf theory. Considering the weird crap that had happened since the storm, it made more sense than the rapist – pervert scenario.

Arriving back at the community centre they were told to change by Sally. And were made to keep a bunch of elderly people company. Most of them were nice enough, the way the needed looking after reminded Nora of the first couple of years of caring for Rosie. Nora scanned room, the others were doing what they had been asked to do a part from Alisha, who Sally was speaking to now. Seeing an elderly man in a wheelchair by the food table dribbling into his lap Nora took in a breath and moved across the room 'they must resent it more than children…' she smiled at the wheelchair bound man, 'after having lived whole lives…' he didn't seem to be able to talk, but his pale blue eyes held anger as he rolled them up to look at her.

She picked two green grapes off of the table "I'll have one if you do." Slowly he opened his mouth with some quivering effort and chewed gently, Nora did the same as well, making sure some of the grape dribbled down her chin. "Oops…" she grabbed a napkin to wipe it away. She looked down at the older man "Oh! You've got some too…" Nora wiped the dribble off the older man's chin. 'Hopefully I avoided embarrassing him too much…' as she straightened up she caught sight of Kelly smiling and nodding her head from a table behind the man in the wheelchair.

"Walter!" an older woman, Nora assumed it was his wife, came over briskly "There you went," with a curt nod a Nora she wheeled her husband away, bickering at him as she did.

Nora mutely shrugged her confusion at Kelly, who had her hands over mouth in laughter, wondering what the older pair could have thought to make her laugh so hard.

"They're so… so old…"Nathan's voice and form had suddenly popped up behind Nora. 'Why is he so close to me?'

"So what did you do?" A female addressing him spoke up. 'Ah! He's flirting…' Nora smiled to herself, moving away from him a little but lingering around the table, pretending to look for something to eat 'this should be interesting…'

"I sexually assaulted a 90 year old woman…" Nora barely held in a snort.

"That's funny…" the girl responded.

"She didn't seem to think so at the time… God rest her soul," this time Nora had more trouble, she tried as best as she could to hold back a laugh but ended spluttering one out anyway, she saw Nathan toss a quick irritated look over his shoulder at her.

The girl's reply hid some of the noise at least and pulled back his attention "Jesus!"

"No. No the truth is I was just done for eatin' some pick 'n' mix." Nora bit her lip '…well, points for creativity I suppose.'

The girl scoffed "Such a liar… Pass me those sausage rolls."

"Mind my arm" Nathan bit out as reached passed Nora to get to the plate "Bugger off…" annoyed he gritted out low enough just for her to hear.

"Pardon?" Nora asked pretending not to hear him, it might have been mean, but Nora found the amusement to be worth it. He made a sort of grunting sound as he went back to the girl, only to be met with an unwanted dance partner, he made another grumbling noise that caused Nora to guffaw again. It only took a few seconds for Nora to take pity on Nathan, or more the elderly woman that he was dancing with. He looked to be purposely trying to stomp on the woman's feet.

"Can I cut in?" Nora reached up to tap on Nathan's shoulder.

Nathan met her with a surprised, eyebrow raise "You wanna dance with me?"

Nora shook her head, "Prefer a more coordinated partner…" holding her hand out to the elderly woman "That sound all right?"

The older woman, thankfully, appeared to have a good sense of humour. "Let's give 'em somethin' to chat about" she laughed, accepting Nora's hand.

Nathan gripped his hips, watching with his mouth curled in confusion "Oi, I'm right here…"

"Sorry love, but you're a right 'orrible dancer…" the older woman commented, Nathan face went from confused to offended.

He pointed his finger in the older woman's face, as though he was about to tell her off "Listen here you ol…"

"Ahm, didn't you have somewhere to go…" Nora interrupted, nodding at the girl he had been flirting with across the dance floor. Keeping his finger pointed where it was, he turned to see who Nora had gestured at…

He turned, his expression still offended, leaning in close to the older woman so that she could hear him whisper "This isn't over…" with that he ran off as though the girl across the room would vanish into thin air.

"'e always such a prat?" Nora looked down at the shorter woman she was dancing with.

Feeling an odd irrational urge to defend the gobby twat, Nora stated "He not that bad, it would probably be a lot more bleak without his…" pausing she searched for the right word, she glanced at the Irish delinquent "... without his 'character'…" she shifted her focus back to the woman before her "um… community service would be different I mean…"

'not to mention all power and murder stuff…'

The older woman scoffed "Well, I'll say this for you… you're either very sweet or very infatuated…"

Nora furrowed her brow for a moment, before finding her footing "Yes well, how could I resist your flattering ways. You have me entranced." She joked pretending to be head over heels for her elderly partner.

With a laugh they danced, Nora found out that the woman's name was Anne, that there were never enough men at these gatherings and that the girl Nathan was flirting with was Anne's good friend, Ruth's, relative. 'Not such a bad get together…' Nora thought as she was having a reasonably enjoyable time.

Before heading to the locker room to grab her bag, Nora ran to the restroom. In her rush in she must have missed it, but in the calm after relieving herself Nora heard soft weeping from one of the stalls.

She hesitated, stalling at the sink as she washed her hands slowly 'if they stop before I finish I won't ask…'

"Ar- are you all right, in there?"

"Why don't mind your business…" a girl sniffed.

Nora recognized the voice "Alisha?"

There was a sigh and the sound shuffling, the door unlocked and the well-dressed girl stepped out. "Guess you don't get English." She wasn't crying anymore but Nora could see the red in her eyes as Alisha peered up at her, looking jarringly like Rosie.

"Are you al…?"

"Yeah, just my bullshit power…" Alisha sniffed, walking to the sinks to wash her hands, "gave an old man a stiffy…" she sniffed, scrubbing her hands roughly.

"Oh…" Nora didn't exactly know how to respond "Th… That's…"

"What?" Alisha snapped, suddenly shutting off the water, her hazel gaze focused on Nora's reflection in the mirror above the sink.

Nora's nervousness spiked, she shook her head "Nothing… just I suppose that's good news for his wife…"

Alisha's reflection was odd, as though she was figuring something out, eventually she smiled, shaking her head with a scoff "Yeah…" she turned, flicking the water off of her fingers, "… Let's get out of this shit hole…" she nodded for Nora to come along.

"Is this a wind up?" Nora could hear Kelly ask as she and Alisha walked into the locker room, the blonde girl was looking at Nathan "Wa' this yah'?" He held his hands up at her.

"If I was trying to wind you up, I think I would be a little more creative" He lowered his voice "I know what film you saw last summer" He shut his locker.

"What's going on?" Alisha asked, walking past Simon towards Curtis, who was holding a piece of paper. "I know what you did…" she read, worry filling her tone.

Nora had stopped by locker which was only a few passed Simon's, at Alisha's words she felt her heart suddenly beat against her ribs and her throat lump up. "It was taped up in my locker." Curtis stated.

"This isnt' funny" Alisha shot at Nathan.

The curly haired boy groaned thumping his locker shut, before turning "Look! If I wanted to freak you out I would've dug up the body and stuck that in your locker!"

'Grim…'

"Then who?" Simon asked quietly, from behind Nora.

Nathan shrugged "They might not even be talking about the probation worker," he gestured to everyone in the change room "Well we've all done stuff, they could be talking about anything…"

"It was in your locker" Alisha said to Curtis handing back the piece of paper.

"This was meant for all of us! They're talking about the probation worker!" Curtis replied, reasonably offended by Alisha's specific accusation.

"Okay, okay, let's just say you're right... if they actually knew anything they wouldn't be dicking around sticking notes on lockers, they would've gone to the police and we'd all be banged up in prison getting gang raped in the showers..." Nathan said thrusting his hips, before stepping up to Curtis and getting in his face "...But this means that they have no evidence, no proof, nothing, and anyway I bet it's something to do with some totally unrelated shit that you've done…" Nathan grinned, "So if we're all done freaking out here about nothing," he brushed by Alisha and Curtis "there's somewhere I need to be…" he stopped in his stride his bluish green eyes landing on Nora, he gave her shoulder an oddly calming squeeze as he walked towards the door "… 'preciate the one up, Light Brite" He smirked leaving Nora with no doubt of what, or moreover exactly who, he was talking about as the change room door shut behind him.

"Please tell me you don't believe that prick! It's for all of us!" Curtis' voice broke the new-found peace had Nora felt at Nathan's gesture "They're talking about the probation worker" Nora heart began thudding all over again. Her light brown gaze refocused on the former athlete who was insistently defending himself.

"Look! The person who done it obviously wants 'os ta freak ou', so we jus' act normal" Kelly stated. Nora had to wholeheartedly agree with the blonde girl. Her suggestion was the one that meant she could return to the easy pretending of the days before.

* * *

Nora's mum had work again… 'soon' she sighed rubbing the skin under her ASBO ankle tag, looking around their empty sitting room, listening to the soft sounds of Elvis crooning away 'Soon she won't have to…'

"Oof!" she huffed as Rosie bowled into her stomach.

"Aunty Noni!" the little girl squealed.

"Did you wash your hands, little bug?"

"Mhmm…" she nodded her head against Nora's stomach.

"Good girl."

"Can we paint now?" Rosie raised her hazel eyes to look up at Nora, "Pleaseee?" she pleaded.

"Of course…" Nora nodded, 'Not that I was going to, but who could resist that?' "You go grab your paints and some paper, I'll get the rest of…"

"YES!" Rosie clapped gleefully, running to the direction of her bedroom.

Nora chuckled, grabbing a bowl of warm water from the kitchen and the sheet that was typically used for Rosie's finger painting adventures from the shoe cupboard. Moving the wooden coffee table and laying the sheet on the floor of the sitting room Nora sat in her usual spot on the floor, leaning against the base of the couch. It was odd not having her mother with them, this had become a yearly tradition since Rosie had been one.

Every year at the same time Rosie would visit her Grandma Dia, from her father's side, in Brighton. Since the trip fell during school vacation, for the past three years Nora had taken Rosie by herself to visit. It meant that Nora's mum could keep working and in order to afford to time off to take Rosie to Brighton, Nora's mum did not have to work crappy shifts for extra pay. But since the scheduling of the ASBO tag had worked out this way, Nora's mum would have to take Rosie herself for the week of vacation.

"I think I'll make her a pooster!" Rosie's excited voice entered the room before she did, her arms overflowing with small paint pots and construction paper.

"A pooster?" Nora smiled, helping Rosie as the little girl knelt on the sheet, letting the supplies drop out of her arms.

"Yeah, like a bird and then a pig…" she stated as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I think you mean a 'rooster', Rosie Posey." Nora giggled, poking at Rosie's belly.

"Hey!" the four year old swatted away Nora's tickling fingers, pulling a piece of red paper out of the pile that she had brought along "That's what I said…" Rosie bit her bottom lip between her teeth, something Nora recognized as family tick passed down from her mother to all of her children 'and grandchildren…' Nora felt the familiar bluish green warmth fill her as Rosie finally finished considering the blank piece of paper, opening a tub of green paint and dipping in her fingers to begin work on her rooster.

"Those are interesting animals to pick…" Nora reached for a lime green sheet of paper. "Any reason why you chose those?"

"Yeah-huh" Rosie nodded "Granny Dia said I was a born in the piggy year and she was in the poost… I mean rooster one…"

Nora raised a brown eyebrow, as she opened and dipped into the purple, it had become a part of the annual tradition that both she and her mother would give finger paintings to Dia as well. "You know your mummy and I are roosters too?"

Rosie lifted the head to look at Nora "Really?" Nora nodded, as the little girl posed her next question "But how come Granma Dia's so old then?"

Nora laughed, tracing a purple star on her green paper "She's not that old, just older than Granny Keira…" she explained "and the animal signs… they repeat every few years…"

"So is Granny Keira a rooster or piggy too?"

Returning her eyes to Rosie, Nora answered "No, Granny Keira is an Ox," at Rosie's puzzled expression Nora went on "like a cow with horns…"

"Oh…" Rosie stared down at the finger painting that she already started, "I'll make one for you all then…" she grabbed more pages, as she listed "Aunty Noni, Granny Keira… Mummy…" a heavy quiet fell.

Nora cleared her throat "Don't forget about your uncle and PopPop."

"Right… What are they?" Rosie became excited again reaching for two more pieces of paper.

"Actually, I'm not sure about PopPop but your uncle's a snake I think."

"Ew…" Rosie commented though she went back to painting anyway, humming along with the low music playing in the background.

As Nora watched her niece paint, she felt an odd mix of emotions… some that she knew were own, and others that she had to make believe were really hers at all.

* * *

**Hope you're liking it so far.**


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